Philip Roberts
Member
006 and 010 are out today. 007 and 009 have worked this week too. Hopefully that means all five can be regularly available again soon
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Transport for Wales Class 230
- Thread starter CaergwrleKen
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simple simon
Member
The train operator GWR has been trialling a pure battery version of these Class 230 trains and things have gone so well that they plan to put it in to passenger service.
Admittedly it will be on a short branch line but part of their trails have included a fast charge system at one station.
The rail industry needs to come together and investigate or even trial this technology for North Wales.
Admittedly it will be on a short branch line but part of their trails have included a fast charge system at one station.
The rail industry needs to come together and investigate or even trial this technology for North Wales.
Zontar
Member
007 failed yesterday with battery issues
simple simon
Member
230 008 has been to Crewe - this Tweet / X post includes some photos
pokemonsuper9
Established Member
I think it might have been 5T08, based on going to Birkenhead.
Realtime Trains | 5T08 1650 Crewe T.M.D. (E) to Birkenhead North E.M.U.D | 29/10/2025
Real-time train running information for 5T08 1650 departure from Crewe T.M.D. (E) to Birkenhead North E.M.U.D on 29/10/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
simple simon
Member
Yes that is it!I think it might have been 5T08, based on going to Birkenhead.
Realtime Trains | 5T08 1650 Crewe T.M.D. (E) to Birkenhead North E.M.U.D | 29/10/2025
Real-time train running information for 5T08 1650 departure from Crewe T.M.D. (E) to Birkenhead North E.M.U.D on 29/10/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
Is it known why 230 008 went there?
WirralLine
Member
They go to Crewe to visit the wheel lathe.
Previous post from sd0733 suggests that it was to receive attention on the wheel lathe.
simple simon
Member
Ah, wheel lathe, Thanks.
Zontar
Member
There have been numerous of faults and failures recently, too many to mention. However today there was big disruption due to one failing and having to be towed away. Made a mess of the morning timetable
Tony2
Member
- Joined
- 7 Apr 2019
- Messages
- 582
Timetable meltdown was actually caused by 197011 ‘problem with the brakes’
Realtime Trains | 2J48 0722 Bidston to Penyffordd | 14/11/2025
Real-time train running information for 2J48 0722 departure from Bidston to Penyffordd on 14/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Next service 230010 thrown off by failure of the 197 above,
Realtime Trains | 2J50 0806 Bidston to Hawarden Bridge | 14/11/2025
Real-time train running information for 2J50 0806 departure from Bidston to Hawarden Bridge on 14/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Further service cancellations hung off problems of first service.
Do you have any further information that is not shown on RTT, would be interesting to see if these issues could be clarified further.
WirralLine
Member
230007 i believe failed somewhere near Cefn Y Bedd losing all power and was stranded between stations, it had to be rescued by 230010. Ive not heard of one having to be properly rescued yet so not ideal.
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This was the offending service.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
It shows arriving at Wrexham 30 odd late, but it didnt actually get there apparently.
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2J50 was used as a rescue train. The 197 was i believe behind the failed 230.Timetable meltdown was actually caused by 197011 ‘problem with the brakes’
Realtime Trains | 2J48 0722 Bidston to Penyffordd | 14/11/2025
Real-time train running information for 2J48 0722 departure from Bidston to Penyffordd on 14/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
Next service 230010 thrown off by failure of the 197 above,
Realtime Trains | 2J50 0806 Bidston to Hawarden Bridge | 14/11/2025
Real-time train running information for 2J50 0806 departure from Bidston to Hawarden Bridge on 14/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
Further service cancellations hung off problems of first service.
Do you have any further information that is not shown on RTT, would be interesting to see if these issues could be clarified further.
This was the offending service.
Realtime Trains | 2J46 0647 Bidston to Wrexham General | 14/11/2025
Real-time train running information for 2J46 0647 departure from Bidston to Wrexham General on 14/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
It shows arriving at Wrexham 30 odd late, but it didnt actually get there apparently.
Tony2
Member
- Joined
- 7 Apr 2019
- Messages
- 582
Thanks for the clarification. Strange that RTT has problem with the brakes against the 197, good to know what actually happened.230007 i believe failed somewhere near Cefn Y Bedd losing all power and was stranded between stations, it had to be rescued by 230010. Ive not heard of one having to be properly rescued yet so not ideal.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
2J50 was used as a rescue train. The 197 was i believe behind the failed 230.
This was the offending service.
Realtime Trains | 2J46 0647 Bidston to Wrexham General | 14/11/2025
Real-time train running information for 2J46 0647 departure from Bidston to Wrexham General on 14/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
It shows arriving at Wrexham 30 odd late, but it didnt actually get there apparently.
tfw756rider
On Moderation
From what I've heard, they're now bi-lingual with Eryl doing the Welsh and Elin doing the English (basically the same as the Mark 4/197/231/756 announcements, but specifically like the new 153 ones, with both the 153s and 230s using the TrainFX system).
CaergwrleKen
Member
Not commented for a while but nothing has changed, the 230s are as bad as ever and only 2 a day working. About the announcements yes they have changed but they never work properly anyway because it always gets confused at Hawarden Bridge and loses the order, i think the conductor has to start it again all the time. I await the usual comments and excuses about how good they will be and it’s not the trains fault. The line is doomed while the 230s are around and wasting millions.
Zontar
Member
No amount of new announcements will compensate for their dire reliability and therefore inconvenience to passengers. More cancellations and replacement bus services this morning due to failed units.
tumbledown
Member
December Modern Railways has a piece on trials of new batteries for these, intended to require less downtime for balancing usage of individual units within a battery pack - "reduced from 30 hours to nine hours".
Interesting, because up until now the messaging has been that the trial has gone extremely well. Yet this seems to be quite a big issue, how big depending, I guess, on how often the balancing process needs to happen.
tumbledown
Member
From the same source (Rhodri Clark reporting TfW), was every three days, now every six days.
Northerngirl
Member
Looks like one of them has had a livery like the active travel sets put on, i saw it but didn't get a pic
WirralLine
Member
Not sure which unit it is, but its had artwork applied with various landmarks from the route. I think it looks quite good!
simple simon
Member
I recently saw a photo of this on Twitter / X, but now cannot find it.
It shows the side of the train from one end with the following number on it: 300008, which makes me think of unit 230 008.
I saved the photo on my computer but for copyright reasons cannot make it public. I suppose that I could share in privately.
Simon
It shows the side of the train from one end with the following number on it: 300008, which makes me think of unit 230 008.
I saved the photo on my computer but for copyright reasons cannot make it public. I suppose that I could share in privately.
Simon
Philip Roberts
Member
008 has been away for a while so that would make sense
Found a photo from the Rail Magazine article:
Article Here
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Steve Rotherham has also taken this as an opportunity to rename the line to the 'Wrexham to Liverpool' line and the promotional video doesn't even show a single picture of the newly wrapped train, never mind the confusion as naming a line that dosen't go to Liverpool as if it does.
Article Here
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Steve Rotherham has also taken this as an opportunity to rename the line to the 'Wrexham to Liverpool' line and the promotional video doesn't even show a single picture of the newly wrapped train, never mind the confusion as naming a line that dosen't go to Liverpool as if it does.
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tfw756rider
On Moderation
Has the livery made it more reliable?
I doubt it!
The idea of running 777's down to Wrexham from Liverpool still seems like a rather stretch of an idea (both planning-wise and in terms of the battery technology), as it is not like they are going to run 230's or 197's any further from Bidston. So this seems merely like a PR stunt. Not to be too off-topic but if I remember dosen't Wrexham-Bidston have some really large signalling blocks that would make any idea of a 'Merseyrail Metro' a bit far fetched? Also was that not a reason why TfW could not do any better than 1 per 45 minutes from 1 per hour instead of 1 per 30 minutes?
Invincible
Member
The target, published May, for direct rail link's to between Wrexham and Liverpool.is 2035, but the article does not mention rolling stock.
www.gov.wales
So good the new batteries mean the 230's reliability will improve and last for at least another 10 years (similar to the Island and perhaps Ealing lines?)
Recently had a ride in a hybrid bus and the diesel engine was switching on and off at bus stops, so the next step is to get the 230's engine to switch on and off at stations and improve hybrid battery working.
“METRO IS GO” with Network North Wales | GOV.WALES
Ambitious transport plan to drive economic growth unveiled.
Recently had a ride in a hybrid bus and the diesel engine was switching on and off at bus stops, so the next step is to get the 230's engine to switch on and off at stations and improve hybrid battery working.
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I think the renaming idea has come from the Welsh side.Found a photo from the Rail Magazine article:
Article Here
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Steve Rotherham has also taken this as an opportunity to rename the line to the 'Wrexham to Liverpool' line and the promotional video doesn't even show a single picture of the newly wrapped train, never mind the confusion as naming a line that dosen't go to Liverpool as if it does.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Investment is already planned to address the issues that place timetabling constraints.